Friday, February 5, 2010

It is my understanding that another keeper may be joining the Wizards soon if he is not there already. I do not know a name but was told that he is a "big time" keeper and that he played in Europe. This is not Walker, he is in camp and training.

With the current keepers in camp and the potential of another joining them soon, it seems we may have seen the last of Kevin Hartman.

Other Wizards:"Other left side attacking player" - M have to assume he does not have a visa yetHartman, Kevin - GK not in camp, not under contractKronberg, Eric - GK in camp, not participating, likely not under contractLopez, Claudio - M not under contract (may not see him back)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

With all the player news lately, I thought I would roundup who I know is in camp, who is not and some more potential news/speculation.

While the announcement of Ryan Smith being in camp last night is interesting, that is not the "left sided attacking player" that Robb talked about during the draft. So we are still looking to see who that is and how he fits in.

The Moldovans were named last night as well. Casian and Kostrov. Of course there is confusion on the proper spelling of the names when they are translated to English. Both of them look skilled and technical. In the scrimmages I saw, Casian seemed to play wider and further back, Kostrov more central.

Apparently there was speculation that the Wizards might be interested in Stern John returning to MLS. Late last week, Robb had told me that the team was still looking at another central defender and another forward. They were closer on the defender than the forward and neither one was imminent. I was told last night that with the signing of Kei, the work on that forward would be put on hold. I do not know if the Wizards were seriously considering Stern John or not but that does jibe with the article in SoccerAmericaDaily.

In the off season, Coach Vermes said they were going to look at a lot of players and the roster would probably look quite different for 2010. I do not think there is any doubt about that now.

So with all the name revealing and signings, here is my best current list of all the players of interest at the moment.

New Wizards:Auvray, Stephane - M Started practicing last ThursdayEscobar, Pablo - D should join team in Arizona, visa approved waiting to get stamped

Other Wizards:"Other left side attacking player" - M have to assume he does not have a visa yetHartman, Kevin - GK not in camp, not under contractKronberg, Eric - GK in camp, not participating, likely not under contractLopez, Claudio - M not under contract (may not see him back)

Alexei Casian and Igor Kostrov are the two Moldovans on trial with the Wizards that I had mentioned in a previous post. A couple shots from practice last week when the Wizards were using the Chiefs indoor practice facility.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Robb Heineman tweeted that Ryan Smith has joined the team in Arizona. While this is an attacking left sided player, it seems that it is not the same one that Robb mentioned during the draft.Smith has one appearance with the England U-20 team. He started his professional career at 16 with Arsenal with a few games in the Carling Cup. He has spent time with Leicester City, Derby County, Millwall, Southhampton and Crystal Palace. All that and he is still 23.

It seems that he showed a lot of talent and promise as a youth player but has slid down the depth chart at each team he joined. It will be interesting to see how he fares in Wizards training camp and if he can earn a spot.

Robb Heineman tweeted that Kei Kamara signed a new contract with the Wizards today. Camp get even more crowded now. Kamara, Wolff, Zoltan, Bunbury, Cristman, Kraus, Arnaud and a couple players trying out can all play forward.

Kamara was acquired from Houston last year for Abe Thompson and allocation money. Makes that trade look even better now.